Protect your digital life: Seven alternative services that respect your privacy

The news that the United States has been spying on its citizens through the NSA’s PRISM program has caused a lot of people to really start thinking about the importance of Internet privacy, and they want to take measures to avoid being watched. Although this scandal makes that seem impossible, there are apps and services that respect your privacy. Here we’ll show you the seven most secure alternative services for completely normal web browsing that won’t put your information at risk.

Mozilla Firefox: the most secure web browser

On the list of the leading browsers, such as Chrome, Explorer, Safari, and Opera, the most recommended option for controlling your privacy, and encrypting your information, is Mozilla Firefox. This browser has numerous plugins and extensions for controlling your security. Among them, HTTPS Everywhere stands out, which encrypts the transfer of data by initiating the use of the HTTP secure protocol, and Ghostery, an add-on that detects the “invisible” web bugs that see everything you do on the Internet and monitor your activity.

Obviously, if Firefox is your default browser, but Google is still your search engine, then you are back at square one. For this, you’ll have to replace the Internet giant for another service.

Download Mozilla Firefox on Uptodown
Version for Windows | http://mozilla-firefox.en.uptodown.com/
Version for Mac | http://firefox.en.uptodown.com/mac
Version for Android | http://firefox.en.uptodown.com/android

Duck Duck Go: the search engine that doesn’t store data

DuckDuckGo is the search engine that guarantees the most amount of privacy you can find on the web, as it doesn’t store your registry data, or follow what sites you visit on the Internet. This search engine allows you to browse with calm without leaving a trace on the Internet. Also, another great feature it has is that all the results it displays are free from Spam.

Download DuckDuckGo on Uptodown
Version for Windows | http://duckduckgo.en.uptodown.com/

Diaspora: the more intimate social network

Maintaining digital privacy doesn’t mean that everything social on the Internet must be done away with. Participating in a social network can also mean keeping your information secure with services such as Diaspora, an alternative social network where you have complete control over the information that you share with it (or don’t). This project aims to offer the same capabilities as Facebook, or Google+, with a personal wall, games, and chat service.

If you start using this alternative, and you can get your friends to migrate with you, you’ll have a more private and just as complete social communication experience.

Download Diaspora* on Uptodown | http://diaspora.uptodown.com/webapps
Official site | https://diasporafoundation.org/

Jitsi: encrypted video conferencing

Microsoft didn’t just share data from Outlook, but also from Skype. In fact, in just the month of July, the NSA has captured triple the amount of video calls thanks to a new monitoring feature that the service has. If you want to have a private video call with no fear of being spied on, the open-source service called Jitsi is a perfect substitute. This chat and video conferencing client encrypts all the data that is transmitted through the Off-the-Record Messaging extension.

Download Jitsi on Uptodown
Version for Windows | http://jitsi.en.uptodown.com/
Official Website | https://jitsi.org/

Bitmessage: P2P communication for your email

This P2P communication service can end up being a more complex option as it is somewhat far from the idea of email that we’re familiar with, but it is just as efficient as email because its objective is to hide the message sender and recipient from spying eyes. Bitmessage is decentralized, and can send encrypted messages to other people using a basic encryption protocol to keep both the sender and recipient anonymous.

Download Bitmessage on Uptodown
Version for Windows | http://bitmessage.en.uptodown.com/

ownCloud: the “private cloud”

There are many online storage services, but not many that are very secure, such as we discovered with Dropbox and Skydrive being monitored by the authorities. ownCloud provides you with a “private cloud” so you are always in control. With your own cloud, you’ll know where the data is that you’re sharing, and who has access to them. Additionally, its security controls include the ClamAV antivirus.

Download ownCloud on Uptodown | http://owncloud.en.uptodown.com/

Piwik: The most secure web analysis

If what you’re looking for is a substitute for Google Analytics that doesn’t compromise your privacy or stockpile your data, Piwik is an app that very closely emulates Google Analytics’ analysis of your web pages. It provides important information about your visitors or marketing companies so you can optimize your strategy and user experience for those who visit your website.

Download Piwik on Uptodown
Version for Windows | http://piwik.en.uptodown.com/
Version for Mac | http://piwik.en.uptodown.com/mac

As we can see, the Internet and privacy are compatible, you just have to be on top of the services you are using, and their privacy policy, so that you’re sure that the info you share online is secure, and you can feel more and better protected. The Internet never forgets.